Windows NT Middleware Links Manufacturing Operations

ENT, Feb 26, 2001 by Joseph Mckendrick

Imagine having an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system running on Unix at head-quarters and others running on AS/400s at plants throughout the world. Imagine trying to view data from all these systems online and in real-time. Then tie e-procurement and financial systems into the mix.

IT managers at Ingersoll-Rand, a manufacturer of industrial and commercial equipment, were faced with such a challenge. The company was eager to streamline its online ordering process and operations to present a single interface to its customers.

The company recently consolidated eight divisions -- each with its own IT system -- into a single entity. Now some of the connector technology that made this integration possible is available to other companies, as well.

The company has several ERP back-end systems, including Oracle running on HP-UX at headquarters and QAD running on AS/400s at various plants.

To provide access to these back-end functions through a single interface, Ingersoll Rand's IT managers turned to a Windows NT-based application integration middleware system. It links its ERP systems to other systems across numerous business units. The project was daunting, requiring the building of 350 integration points between applications across 140 business units, says Joe Taylor, manager of business applications at Ingersoll-Rand. The integration initiative began with a shared service program supporting finance, human resources, and procurement activities.

From there, integration extended to as many systems as possible throughout the $9 billion multinational corporation.

One of Ingersoll-Rand's ERP vendors, QAD, worked with the manufacturer to develop application-to-application connectors to link front-end human resources, finance, and e-procurement systems to back-end data.

"A true B2B environment should be automatic and unattended, not manual order entry," Taylor says. To conduct e-business, companies must have integrated internal systems that provide the ability to access data on a real-time basis, he adds. Ingersoll-Rand's managers will be able to track sales and inventory across the manufacturer's mix of systems.

Ingersoll-Rand developed an integration framework with CrossWorlds Software middleware, which it deployed on Windows NT servers. The CrossWorlds system incorporates IBM's MQ-Series for message queuing.

QAD built connectors and APIs to its human resources and financial systems, Taylor says. CrossWorlds then integrated with the company's Oracle8i database.

QAD announced that it is making the connectors it developed for Ingersoll-Rand, called QAD/Connects A2A, available as a packaged integration solution that integrates QAD applications with other vendors' systems.

QAD also provided tailored connector APIs to Oracle applications, which communicate through CrossWorlds' middleware.

With this integration initiative completed, Ingersoll-Rand will have front-end procurement integrated with its back-end enterprise systems.

This will position the company to move into B2B collaborative applications able to tap into the systems of suppliers, customers, and channel partners, Taylor says.